After several months of testing in San Francisco and Boston, Uber launched a new and improved version of its carpooling service in six cities across the United States today. Express Pool promises to take up to 50 percent off Uber Pool rides and 75 percent off UberX rides, making this the rideshare company’s most affordable option yet.
There are no plans as of yet to unveil it in the UK, but Express will appear in DC, LA, Miami, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Denver today as another option in the app, offering deeply discounted fares—perfect for anyone who uses a rideshare app to commute to work.
But as always, there’s a catch. In exchange for this new half-off carpool option, you’ll have to be willing to walk a few blocks on each end of your ride to nearby “Express spots” to eliminate driving in circles to pick up and drop off each new rider.
Here's how it works.
In the app, users in the above cities will see Express Pool as a new option next to Uber Pool Once you select Express, the app will start looking for the best pickup spot within a few blocks of your location. When the algorithm is finished calculating the ride details—a process which takes about two minutes on average—the app will then give you walking directions to where you’ll meet your driver. This location should be within one to two blocks and never more than five blocks away of the location from where you requested the ride. During your ride, a drop off will be calculated within a few blocks of your destination.
While you're probably better off sticking to UberX or the original version of Uber Pool if it's raining or late at night, Express Pool should, in theory, make rides more efficient by streamlining the pick up and drop off process.
Lyndsey Matthews is the Destination News Editor for AFAR; previously she was a Lifestyle Editor across all of Hearst Digital Media's brands, and a digital editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and Travel + Leisure.
